Pathfinder Chronicles: Like the Old Navigators
by Spectres'n'Knights
Summary: A series of short stories following Ryder and Cora's relationship throughout the game and beyond. CustomMaleRyder/Cora. Brother series to Pathfinder Chronicles: Taoshay.
1. Preface

**Title:** Pathfinder Chronicles; Like the Old Navigators

 **Genre:** Adventure/Romance

 **Pairing:** Male Ryder/Cora Harper

 **Author:** Spectres'n'Knights

 **Disclaimer:** Mass Effect universe © BioWare

Any character you haven't heard of © me

 **Summary:**

A series of short stories following Ryder and Cora's relationship throughout the game and beyond. CustomMaleRyder/Cora. Brother series to Taoshay.


	2. Chronology

**Chronological Order**

First Meeting - Navigators

" _I Failed Him…"_ \- Navigators

A Sweetheart and a Sweet-talker - Navigators

Contingency - Navigators

 _Only Human_ \- Navigators

 **Home of Our Own** \- Navigators

 _Circle of Life_ \- Navigators

Javegara - Taoshay

A Full Explanation - Navigators

Seeking Permission - Common Ground

(Gladiator miniseries; Part) - Navigators

I Thee Wed - Navigators

 _Block's Off_ \- Navigators

Brand New World (Galaxy) – Common Ground

Meeting the Family – Common Ground

 **One in the Oven (Baby On Board miniseries; Part I)** \- Navigators

Nine Months (Or Thereabouts) (Baby On Board miniseries; Part II) - Navigators

Welcome to the World (Baby On Board miniseries; Part III) - Navigators

 _ **Progress Key:**_

Happiness = Story concept. No progress.

 _Happiness_ = Story is in its beginning stages.

 _ **Happiness**_ = Story is almost finished, and I'm focusing on finishing it.

 **Happiness** = Story is done and posted up.


	3. Home of Our Own

**Home of Our Own**

 _ **Location: Andromeda / Heleus Cluster / Saajor System / Meridian**_

 **Galactic Year: 2820CE**

"No peeking." Diego Ryder stated, to his companion for the umpteenth time since they'd left Port Meridian.

"I'm not." Cora protested, rolling her eyes beneath her closed - and had been that way since they'd gotten underway - eyelids.

"SAM?"

"Lieutenant Harper is telling the truth, Pathfinder. She has kept her eyes shut since entering the Nomad as per your instructions." SAM reported.

Diego briefed a quick glance away from the windscreen to see for himself. SAM's report was true - not that he doubted his AI partner; Cora's eyes were shut as she rested back in her seat.

"Thank-you, SAM." Cora said gratefully to the AI.

"You are welcome, Lieutenant Harper. The Pathfinder is simply excited to sh-"

"SAM!" Diego cut in before SAM could say anything else. " _On'tday uinray ethay urprisesay!_ "

"Ymay apologiesway, Athfinderpay." SAM responded immediately and Diego had to pause for a second to work out what the AI had said in response to his own protest.

He'd been planning this for months and now, finally, they had a few duty-free days to themselves for him to put things into action.

"I should point out, Pathfinder, that if Lieutenant Harper knows any Pig-Latin that you have just done what you stopped me from doing." SAM alerted Diego via their private channel.

Diego huffed in response - very much aware of that point before the AI had raised it - and the sound earned Cora's chuckle.

"Don't worry SAM." She spoke, causing Diego to look over at her. "I got the memo that this is a surprise when Diego asked me to close my eyes before we left port. And I intend to keep them that way until he tells me otherwise."

Diego responded to his girlfriend's sentence by looking back to the 'road' and gunning the Nomad's thrusters to cover the terrain between them and their destination that bit quicker. Cresting the last hill, Diego began to slow the six-wheeled all-terrain vehicle as they entered a small clearing with a breathtaking vista just beyond it.

Once the Nomad had come to a complete stop, Diego pushed his harness up and exited their ride.

By the time he'd gotten to Cora's side of the vehicle, she already had her harness up, but hadn't moved because of her closed eyes, instead proffering an arm for him to help her out.

"Milady." Diego grinned as he did just that, his excitement growing the closer he got to showing her what he'd brought her out here for.

Once she was on the ground, Diego led Cora over to the edge of a small lake before he moved to stand behind her resting a hand on her hip once he'd stopped. "Alright, you can open them."

Cora let out a gasp. "It's beautiful," she murmured, leaning back against him as she took in the landscape before them.

"And it's all ours." Diego informed her before pressing a kiss to the back of her head.

Cora turned to look at him as he regarded her with his trademark half smile. "Ours?" She half repeated half questioned.

"Mmhmm." He hummed, clearly pleased with himself.

"I didn't know land allotment had started already."

"It hasn't, not technically. I saw this place while working with one of the survey teams shortly after the Hyperion's crash landing." He coughed and then rubbed the back of his neck as his embarrassment crept in. "After I saw it, I may have thrown my name about a bit in order to claim it before anybody else could."

She regarded him with a raised eyebrow at the revelation as he continued. "I know you said that you wanted to adventure a bit more before we settled down, a-and I agree - totally, totally agree - with you, especially with the kett still being a threat to the cluster, to all of Andromeda, really."

He was rambling, he knew, his nerves getting the better of him and making him tongue-tied with the fear that Cora would think he was moving too fast by doing this fueling his worry. They'd only been together for about four months, after all. "But I just thought that we would have a place that's ours; to get away from it all whenever we get a break from our duties and-"

Cora silenced him with a kiss, which he deepened a few seconds later when she threaded her fingers through his Mohawk and pressed her body ardently against his.

They remained that way until the need for air drew them apart, but even then, Cora remained in his arms, raising a hand to tenderly cup his cheek. "I love it," she assured him, soothing his worry.

He knew that because of his age people tended to disregard him. At just 22 - though soon to be 23, he was the youngest of the four Pathfinders, and prior to him defeating the Archon, nearly all of the Initiative had doubted his ability to succeed in his mission.

Cora and his team showing unshakable faith and trust in him - though things with Cora had been rocky at first because of his father's choice of successor - and his abilities had helped tremendously as he'd found his feet in his new job.

Cora's hand leaving his cheek as she stepped away from him to get a better look at the vista around them brought Diego back to reality and with Cora occupied he turned back to the Nomad to unload the gear he'd brought with them.

Cora turned at the sound of things hitting the ground and strode over to investigate.

"Camping gear?" She queried Diego when he reappeared.

"Like the old navigators," was all he said as he tossed their sleeping bag to her.

She shook her head in amazement as she caught it and placed it with the other gear. "Where did you…" she started to ask and then the answer hit her like a charging eiroch. "Let me guess; Vetra?"

"Vetra." Diego confirmed.

"It must have taken her a while to find everything, especially top of the line gear. Most of the Initiative's gear is basic."

"A bit of time, yeah," he responded as he exited the Nomad, not surprised that Cora knew about what camping gear the Initiative had given her desire to explore their new home. "Especially with trying to keep the acquisitions on the down-low so I could surprise you once everything was ready."

Diego paused to make sure he had a full stock of thermal clips - both for himself and for Cora before he joined his partner as she started to unpack the tent so they could construct it before dark.

With Meridian still not completely explored or understood, both humans had worn their armour and had brought their weapons - though just his Zalkin and Ushior in Diego's case - just in case they ran into trouble.

The human Pathfinder's ever-present Remnant Observer companion trailed along behind Diego - chirping and beeping as it went - completing their defensive ensemble.

 **~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

Cora couldn't hide her surprise when Diego began to put the tent together easily, his experience with the task plain to see.

He chuckled at one point when he looked up to see her more watching him then working on her side of the two-man shelter.

"Don't look so surprised, I've camped before. We spent as much time on Earth as we did on the Citadel when Kira and I were growing up. We even saw Big Ben when we were eight." At his own mention of the Milky Way his spirits flagged a bit. "It's hard to believe that there might be nothing left of our homeworld now if Shepard wasn't able to stop the Reapers."

Once he'd unlocked all of his father's memories, Diego had followed in Alec Ryder's footsteps and shown Kira and Cora the once-encrypted memories. That way, if - God forbid - something happened to him while they were dealing with the Archon, someone else would have the knowledge about the benefactor and the potential fate of the Milky Way.

"We don't know for sure if that's why the beacons haven't been answered." Cora responded. Like Diego, she'd been surprised - and a little worried - when she'd first heard the HNS report. "The beacon could have been knocked off course or something."

Diego gave her a soft half-smile at her attempts to take his mind off of the topic.

Just because they didn't call their birth galaxy home any more didn't mean they couldn't be worried in the face of the news of the possible extinction of those they'd left behind.

"So, what had Kallo so tense when he was landing earlier?" Cora suddenly asked.

Diego chuckled, half at Cora's distraction technique and half at his twin's earlier antics. "Maji."

Cora raised an eyebrow in further inquiry.

"She was on the landing pad when Kallo was bringing us in." Diego chuckled again as he explained the kerfuffle that Cora had walked in on. "She Charged onto the ramp before the Tempest had even landed, which set off all sorts of alarms and sensors in the cockpit for him to deal with."

Cora shook her head in exasperation. "You Ryders really are adrenaline junkies, aren't you?"

"In Kira's defense, she was just eager to get on the ship and get out there with us."

"And she'll still have to wait another couple of days for the restock and repairs to be complete before we head back out."

"Eh," Diego shrugged as he returned his attention to the tent, hammering a peg into the ground as Cora did the same on the opposite side. "Tomato, potato."

"What?" Cora asked, not sure how to take what her partner had just said.

He laughed. "Something Gil said to me when I was exploring the Tempest while we were travelling to Eos for the first time. Kinda stuck."

 **~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

Once the tent was pitched and their shared sleeping arrangements laid out, the pair gathered firewood for their campfire.

The MRE's they ate for their evening meal weren't overly appetizing, but they at least had food in their bellies as they settled down to stargaze.

 **~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

"Look, there's a dragon."

Diego chuckled before adding to her observation, raising a hand to trace a curved line in the - somehow - star-filled night sky. "Corona Andromedae, maybe? Not quite as beautiful, though."

"Sweet-talker." Cora squeezed their entwined fingers before pointing out another constellation. "Ryder's Footprints, changing lives wherever they go."

Diego chuckled again before turning his head to listen for Zap's digital chatter. The little bot's vocalizations were programmed to change as its combat protocols kicked in to let its organic companions know of the incoming danger.

Upon hearing the Observer's peaceful sounds, Diego relaxed and returned his attention to Cora, who had turned from her place against his chest to look up at him.

"Just being vigilant, given that the survey team encountered a den of eirochs not far from here." He told her.

"A _den?_ "

"Things would have gotten really messy if Vetra, Drack and I hadn't been with them."

Cora sighed at the reveal, though not really surprised. Trouble had a fond habit of finding Diego even when he didn't want it to. "I let you out of my sight for a few hours…"

Diego chuckled before he leaned down to kiss her.

"I admit, I didn't think you'd be a stargazer." Cora informed him when they drew apart and turned their attention back to the sky above them.

"Are you kidding?" Diego chuckled with a warm smile. "We used to stargaze with Mom all the time when we were growing up. Got a little harder once our biotics manifested and we were sent to Grissom and then joining the Alliance. Then when her illness went terminal and she and Dad moved back to Earth…" he trailed off and Cora squeezed his hand again in reassurance. Even though the twins now knew of Ellen Ryder's survival and travel to Andromeda with them it was still hard to shake off what had happened in the Milky Way.

Not that Diego would change what he'd gone through.

Sure, it had hurt like hell, burying and mourning their mother.

But good things had come of it as well, like him getting the kick up the ass that - looking back - he had sorely needed in order to mature a little.

"Well, the time we had with her then was cherished as she neared the end."

"Hopefully you'll be able to do it with her here one day." Cora murmured softly to him.

She knew that the twins were trying to be realistic with their chances of finding a cure for their mother's AEND so they didn't get their hopes up too high in case they weren't able to succeed.

"Hopefully." Diego echoed.

"What was it like, growing up on the Citadel?"

Diego smiled, though Cora didn't see it, at her once again changing the topic to keep him from dwelling on such disheartening things for too long.

For Cora's part, she was genuinely interested in his answer, the desire to learn more about the man she loved stronger than ever.

" _You're saying you're not a little curious?"_

" _I've got my own someone to be curious about."_

The craziness of the past year had meant their focus had mainly been on their mission, though they'd managed to find out a few things about each other as they'd gotten closer.

Now that things had settled - to a degree - there was time to go deeper.

Though them getting together had almost not happened with how he'd flirted with Peebee and Vetra as well as herself in the beginning.

"Big space station chock full of all sorts of aliens?" Diego responded with a chuckle. "Scary at first, especially for a little kid, but pretty soon I was playing laser tag with turian and salarian kids my age."

Cora smiled as she turned in Diego's arms so she could look at her partner as he talked, easily imagining a young Diego bobbing in and out of cover the station provided whilst searching for his opponents akin to how he operated in firefights now.

"Kira once tried to play hide-and-seek with a hanar, which went as about as well as you might think with them able to float and all." He told her with a laugh, which she matched. "Looking back on it now, that's probably why I'm here. The Citadel showed me that life has no limit on possibilities. It made me think; what else is out there. I always wanted an adventure of my own, but Dad's dishonorable discharge ended any thought of that in the Milky Way."

Diego sobered a little then. "I admit that I took being blacklisted in the Alliance hard. Refused to speak to him for months after. Walked out of the room if he came in when we were at home."

"Understandable." Cora murmured as she reached up to stroke his cheek.

She had to keep reminding herself just how young the twins were.

For as hard as it had been for her leaving her asari unit to join the Initiative at Nisira's insistence, she at least had something of a career in the Alliance. Diego and Kira had lost their chance when their father's work had come to light, though Diego still spoke of what little time he'd had overseeing Relay 202 with his unit fondly as well as his time with an Alliance peacekeeping force.

"Him, yeah. Mom, not so much. I know it tore her up, seeing us at odds." A look of guilt crossed his features at the distress he'd caused in his ailing mother. "So I did my best to bury the hatchet in the last few weeks for her."

Cora reacted to his distress by wrapping him up in a hug.

They remained entwined that way for several minutes after which Diego pulled back a little. "Thanks."

"I'm here for you. Anything you need."

Diego smiled softly at her before drawing her close for a kiss.

When they drew apart, they remained in each other's arms for a time, not a word passing between them, but Cora seemed to know exactly what he needed and offered it without hesitation.

It was times like this where Diego marveled how he had managed to not screw up what was - hands-down - the best thing that had ever happened to him.

Like Cora, he'd had his fun on shore-leave in the Milky Way. Never anything serious until they'd arrived in Andromeda.

His flirting with Vetra had stopped after he - by complete and utter accident, though they still didn't believe his protests - overheard a conversation between Cora and Vetra while they and Jaal were tracking down the Roekaar murders in Kadara.

Peebee he had continued to flirt with until their little excursion on Pas-10, through it hadn't helped that the asari had rubbed her own growing relationship with their leader in Cora's face as often as she could, which had led to Cora calling him out on what he was doing and him from only taking the two women out with him when he absolutely had to.

The realization that Cora had stolen his heart had taken him some time to realise, but had hit him like a bolt from the blue once he had.

Thus he had had to let Peebee down as gently as he could, though he still felt like a colossal coward for not being able to tell the asari face-to-face that his feelings for Cora had grown greater for his second then what he felt for their resident Remnant expert.

The feel of Cora's fingers tracing the patterns of the Tetris-like tattoo on the left side of his neck and jaw brought Diego out of his musings and he continued on with his earlier topic.

"After that, the next time I heard from Dad was when he contacted us about the Initiative."

 **~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

They talked for a few more hours, sharing anything and everything that struck their fancy until the need for sleep asserted itself.

As Cora tended to their sleeping bag, Diego reduced Zap's patrol area, bringing the Observer closer to their tent so they'd - hopefully - hear his chatter in time enough to arm and prep for a fight if something unwelcome stumbled upon them during the rest of the night.

Once that was done he ducked into the tent and closed the flap behind him before he began removing the bulkier parts of his armour until just his bodysuit remained.

Cora, her hardsuit having no heavy pieces and thus she hadn't needed to remove anything, was already in bed, holding the covers up for him to join her once he'd finished with his tasks.

The couple shared a few more kisses as they settled down to rest.

"G'night, milady," Diego murmured to her as they drew apart and got comfortable, loosely wrapping an arm around her waist and drawing her closer to him.

Cora smiled up at him before tucking her face into the crook of his neck, her left hand pressed against Diego's chest so that she could feel his heartbeat underneath her fingertips. It was a stimulant, a habit that had started almost as soon as they'd gotten together, that helped ease her mind and lull her into a resting state, knowing that he wasn't going to go anywhere without her. "Good night, sweetheart."

Sleep claimed them both shortly after.

 **~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

 **Translations:**

"Don't ruin the surprise!"

"My apologies, Pathfinder."

 **~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

 **Acronym Index;**

MRE; Meals Ready to Eat

 **~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

 **Author's Notes:**

I've finally gotten around to playing Andromeda and was hooked by the new game just like I was with the Original Trilogy and loving every minute of play.

Thus, it was only a matter of time before my writing juices got my fingers in a flurry.

For those of my readers who have been with me since After the Reapers, Pathfinder Chronicles is to Andromeda what Reapers was to the Original Trilogy.

However, given the twins setup Andromeda uses, each Chronicles series will consist of a brother and sister set, the two series working together with the overall story.

Pathfinder Chronicles; Taoshay is the other half of Navigator, with Jaal as Kira's eventual partner.

I also have one other Chronicles story in the works; Pathfinder Chronicles: Common Ground.

As it's name suggests Common Ground will contain one-shots and short stories where the two series meet, like Jaal asking for permission from Diego to court Kira.

Here's hoping that this series does as well with you, my readers, as the original did.

For those curious, the Shepard, whenever referenced, for this first set is JJ from Starborn Saviour - which for the time being is on the back-burner while Andromeda has its claws in me.


	4. One in the Oven

**One in the Oven (Baby On Board mini-series; Part I)**

 _ **Location: Andromeda / Heleus Cluster / Saajor System / Meridian / Port Meridian / AISS Tempest**_

 **Galactic Year: 2825CE**

She was pregnant!?

"Are you alright, Lieutenant Ryder?" SAM asked Cora as she tried to wrap her head around what the AI had just told her, sinking onto their bed in the Pathfinder's Quarters before pressing a hand to her still flat stomach.

She was going to be a mother.

"I… Yes, SAM… I'm just-Are you **sure**? _Really_ sure?"

The question was null and void, she knew, with how advance their SAM was compared to his counterparts. Detecting something like a fetus had to be - pardon the pun - child's play compared to some of the things the AI had done to aid Diego and their team over the years.

"I am sure." The AI patiently responded. "You are in your seventh week of gestation." He repeated his earlier statement.

Both she and Diego had wanted this, she reminded herself as she worked through the shock SAM's announcement had brought on.

But want and reality were two **very** different things.

She'd noticed, of course, that she'd missed her monthly blood a few weeks prior, as well as a few other symptoms; tenderness in her breasts, increased fatigue, and a few mood swings, but hadn't gotten her hopes up just in case.

But it was true.

She was pregnant.

She was really pregnant.

She and Diego were going to be parents.

"Isn't this what you and the Pathfinder wanted, Lieutenant? To start a family?" SAM asked, sounding a little confused by her lack of excitement at the news, which brought Cora out of her thoughts.

"I-I am, SAM. I just… didn't - wasn't - expecting that it would happen so… soon."

They'd both been off their chemical blockers for about a year now and she knew that Diego would be over the moon with the news.

' _Diego…_ '

She would tell him.

Eventually.

But now wasn't the right time to do so.

A few days ago, Evfra had contacted the Tempest with an urgent request.

Moshae Sjefa and some of the Resistance's scientists had come under attack on Khi Tasira, ambushed by Kett who had then managed, somehow, to activate a containment field. And when it came to the Moshae's safety, the Resistance leader only trusted Diego and Kira to work with the Remnant tech, though all the Pathfinders were now able to do so when necessary after being shown how by the twins.

That was where her husband was right now, in a meeting organizing their tactics and plan to free the captive Angara, giving her a few hours to herself as she had been tasked with making sure that the Tempest was ready to fly upon his return, to finally ask SAM about her condition without the risk of him overhearing.

If he knew that she was pregnant, he'd undoubtedly leave her behind, not willing to take the risk in case she, and by proxy their child, got hurt during the mission. But by the sounds of the reports SAM had been feeding her, their team would need every member at front and center, her especially because of her shield assist tech to keep everyone's shields up and as strong as they could be, to deal with the Kett.

' _I just have to be careful, and not let Diego see I'm being that way at the same time. Not an easy feat._ '

Diego had proven himself to be quite perceptive about what was going on around him, so her not always being in the thick of things and setting up headshots for her husband would set off all sorts of alarm bells in his mind.

"To that end, SAM; not a word to Diego about this until I tell him myself." Cora ordered the AI before adding, "Consider it a standing order."

"Understood, Lieutenant Ryder." SAM dutifully responded.

Still a little dazed by it all, Cora took a few more minutes to compose herself before she ordered SAM to unlock the door to their quarters, departing the room to continue with her tasks before Diego's return.

' _I'm pregnant…_ '

 **~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

 _ **Location: Andromeda / Heleus Cluster / Saajor System / Meridian**_

 _Three weeks later_

"Sisi ni sawa means we're the same.

Forget about the past,

When there's nothing to gain.

(Sisi ni sawa)

At the end of the day, it's like water and rain.

Sisi ni sawa, we are the same.

(Sisi ni sawa)

Sisi ni sawa means we're the same.

(Sisi ni sawa)

Forget about the past when there's nothing to gain.

(Sisi ni sawa)

At the end of the day, it's like water and rain.

Sisi ni sawa, we are the same.

(Sisi ni sawa)

Sisi ni sawa, we are the same."

Diego sang softly to himself as he approached his and Cora's little home in the wilds of Meridian.

Kira and Jaal had also been visiting their mother when he'd arrived, with Kira humming the song at some point enough for it to get lodged in his brain on repeat.

"Honey, I'm home!" Diego called out as he entered.

 **~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

Cora smiled when she heard Diego's voice and made her way to the front door to greet him.

She'd chosen to remain at the cottage to tend to her garden, which had sprouted a number of weeds while they'd been away, while he'd gone to spend some time with his mother.

And also, to give herself time to figure out just how she would tell her husband that he was going to be a father.

Now at ten weeks, she was running out of time to tell him herself before the presence of their child growing within her became impossible to miss. Already her stomach was showing a swell that hadn't been there before. Though, on that train of thought, she was honestly surprised that Diego _hadn't_ noticed the changes that were occurring in her body, as he was normally so in-tune with what was going on with her.

As one of the team's two long-ranged marksman, Diego was the team's 'eyes in the sky' over the battlefield during firefights, tasked with alerting everyone of any new developments as they occurred and keeping his team safe, and so thus he had a keen eye for the things that were going on around him even in day-to-day life.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts as she rounded a corner to see Diego removing his jacket and hang it up in the closet.

He turned at the sound of her footsteps. "Hey," he greeted her warmly as she met him with a kiss and a hug.

"Hi yourself." She returned softly, relaxing into his embrace, the warmth of his presence settling her nerves and the feel of his beating heart against her fingertips calming her.

They both wanted this, she reminded herself.

And given their jobs and the dangers they faced whilst out helping the Initiative settle Heleus, there was never going to be a 'perfect' time for them to have a child. They had to make the most of what they had, and Cora had never doubted what a good father Diego would be to the little one growing inside her. Not after seeing him with Kesh and Vorn's children as well as the many, many youngsters that swarmed him whenever the Tempest was at - in? - Meridian and Prodromos.

Her, on the other hand…

' _Focus. Remember Sarissa's manuals; Breathe, purpose, action._ '

Breathe.

Steeling herself and setting her mind to what she had to do, Cora drew back and smiled up at the man she loved.

He picked up on her nervousness almost immediately.

"You okay?" He asked, softly stroking a hand up and down one of her arms.

In lieu of a response, Cora took said hand and silently led him over to the couch, where they both took a seat.

 **~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

"Is everything all right, Cora?' Diego asked again, fighting his rising alarm and unease at his wife's odd behavior.

She never did anything without reason, he knew, so he let her take her time to work through whatever it was that was on her mind.

"Cora?" He tentatively asked after a minute's silence. "Love?"

Eventually, still not saying a word, she took ahold of one of his hands, slipped it under her top and gently pressed it to her abdomen before making eye contact with him and offering him a tentative smile, though her eyes still held an unsure look.

He furrowed his brow at the action.

' _Why would she…? Unless…_ '

Diego's eyes widened as Cora's unspoken declaration clicked in his mind.

"I… You… Cora, ar-are we…?" He stammered out.

He'd noticed that she'd seemed a little off of late, turning her nose up at foods she usually ate and being nauseous at others as well as being a little more tired than usual - a definite oddity for her as she and Kira were usually the first awake in the mornings of the Tempest crew. A tentative hope had bloomed in his chest at the symptoms, which he'd learned and studied from the information packet Jill had sent him not long after their blockers had been removed, but he hadn't dared say anything in case he was wrong.

"You-you're pregnant?"

Cora gave a small nod in response as she squeezed the hand resting on her stomach in affirmation.

The next thing she knew, Diego had gathered her in his arms as he sprang to his feet and spun her around, laughing joyously as he did so. Cora shrieked at first in response to the sudden movement, but then she joined her husband in his joy at the news.

She was pregnant.

They were going to be parents.

She was going to be a mother…

Cora felt the familiar doubts flare in her heart as Diego put her back on her feet, looking happier and more content then she'd ever seen him as he took a seat and then pulled her onto his lap. Once she was seated, he rested his hand on the swell of her stomach, unable to take his eyes off the bump now that he knew its cause.

She was pregnant.

They were going to be parents.

He was going to be a father!

Diego wetted his suddenly dry lips. "How far along are you?" He tentatively asked.

When there was no reaction from Cora in response to either his actions or his question, Diego tore his eyes away from her midriff to look at his wife, who still wore an uncertain expression and a look of doubt in her eyes.

His demeanor softened, knowing the reason for her distraction, and he brought a hand up to stroke Cora's cheek.

"Cora," he murmured softly to his wife and he saw her blink back to awareness.

After being abandoned by every major parental figure in her life, he knew that she harbored doubts as to how good she'd be at the role and had expressed as much to him when they'd first discussed having a family - long before their blockers had been removed.

"Hmmm?"

"You'll do fine," Diego soothed as he began to softly rub a hand up and down her back, picking up on her unspoken cues. "And we won't be alone in this. Kira and Jaal, hell, the whole Tempest crew will likely adopt our little one before he-"

"Or she." Cora instantly countered, a fire lighting in her eyes at his assumption of their baby's gender. "And language!"

"Or she," Diego acquiesced, chuckling at her sudden aversion to his swearing, before continuing, "is even born. Not to mention Mom. Knowing her, she'll be front and center in her grandbaby's life from the get-go and will be more then happy to give us **both** help and advice when we need it."

Cora blinked at his words and Diego gave her a half smile.

"You're not the only one that's new to all this, darling one." He informed her tenderly. "I'm just as liable to make mistakes with him or her as you are. But it's like anything; we learn as we go and lean on those closest to us when we falter."

Hearing that Diego also had doubts about his abilities as a parent, Cora felt a weight lift from her shoulders, and suddenly, things didn't seem so scary.

Diego suddenly grinned mischievously at something he'd just said. "Or grand _babies_." He stressed the plural with a wiggle of his eyebrows. "There's been several generations of my family that have had one set of twins after another, no gap." Cora smacked him on the chest. "Just saying, is all," he hastily finished.

Cora rolled her eyes before softly smiling and drawing him in for a kiss.

Truth be told, she was a little envious of Kira and Diego.

Like all siblings, they didn't always see eye-to-eye and fought like cats and dogs when tensions between them boiled over. But when the chips were down, they had each other's backs without question and woe-betide anyone who got in their way, as the Archon himself had learned first-hand, and had paid for it with his life as a result.

"Also, you've been hanging around my mother too much." He groused when they broke from their embrace.

"Manners, Diego Kion." Was all Cora said in response with a prominent smirk on her features.

Diego's only reaction to being middle-named by his wife was to grumble some more.

 **~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

Dinner was a romantic candle-lit affair and as they ate, Diego found he couldn't keep his hands off of his wife, one hand resting near-constantly on Cora's stomach or hip.

Cora, for her part, simply laced her fingers through his where it rested on her abdomen, smiling softly and contently as her husband lavished her with attention, feeding her morsels of food as he became the dotting father-to-be she knew he would become once he knew.

 **~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

After dinner, the couple remained in the main room for a time, basking in the new familial development as they slow-danced to songs on the radio.

Eventually they began to kiss, and as one thing led to another after, their discarded clothes marked their journey from the main room to their bedroom.

 **~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

Cora moaned as Diego trailed a series of kisses down her neck, which she'd canted to the side in order to give him full access to, while he moved within her, his strokes slow and deliberate.

The way he was being with her now reminded her of their first night together on the Tempest all those years ago.

" _I'm going to show you how perfect you are. Even if it takes me_ all _night._ "

Now, like then, they took their time as they made love.

Celebrating their bond and the new life that they'd created.

She could feel her body coiling tighter and tighter, her latest release coming fast. "Diego," she gasped out. "I'm close!" She rubbed her cheek against his. "Please!"

He chuckled softly in her ear, stilling his movements down below as he pulled back, taking one of her legs and hoisting it over his shoulder. He made eye contact with Cora to make sure she was comfortable in the position before he began to thrust into her again,

"Oh, yes…" she moaned out at the deeper penetration the new position allowed, tangling one hand in the sheets beneath them, while the other moved to where she and Diego were joined.

Looking up at him through half-lidded eyes, her fingers bypassed her own bundle of nerves in favour of her partner's crown jewels. His body's reaction to her attentions was instant; his thrusts into her becoming much more powerful then before, which spurred on her impending release all the more.

' _Almost there…_ '

Knowing that Cora needed one last push, one of Diego's hands left her hip and zeroed in on her clit. With all the years the pair had been together, they both knew each other's bodies intimately, knew how and where to touch the other - both common and uncommon - to make them fall to pieces, though Diego stuck with a classic now, alternating between circling the little nub and stroking back and forth as well as switching from firm touches to feather-light.

Given how close she had been prior to the position change, it didn't take long before Cora hit her peak, crying out as her back arched off the mattress.

Diego watched his wife's body flush with colour as he continued to thrust into her as she went through the aftershocks of her orgasm, drawing out her release for as long as he possibly could.

When Cora had had enough, she lifted her leg from her husband's shoulder and let it drop. He, in turn, smiled at her as he guided her to wrap her legs around his waist before gathering her up in his arms.

"Put your arms around my neck," he murmured to her.

Cora smiled warmly at him as she did as she was asked before he rose into a kneeling position, then sat his backside down on the bed and stretched his legs out in front of him.

Realizing what position he'd put them in, she leaned down to nuzzle him.

The wraparound position had become one of their favorites over the years, especially if, like now, they were in the mood to savor their coupling and take their time and enjoy each other. The position meant that Cora had all the power, and his role was limited, but he'd never minded doing so. Just like in every other aspect of their relationship, they'd learned to give and take to keep both of them happy, connected and content.

' _Speaking of content…_ ' Cora hadn't failed to notice that Diego himself hadn't reached release since their first coupling of the night, instead focusing, and lavishing, all of his attentions on her. And while she knew that was just him being his chivalrous self, putting her ahead of him, and his way of celebrating the life inside her, it had taken the two of them to create said life in the first place.

Truth be told, she'd been hoping her little maneuver on his crown jewels earlier would edge him close enough that her release would topple him over into his, and while she hadn't completely succeeded, she could see that he was still close.

And she was determined to see it happen.

Breaking from their nuzzling, she put her plan into action and began to move on her husband's shaft, alternating between circles to stimulate the entire vaginal wall, back and forth to arouse her clit and up and down for deeper penetration. She also began to squeeze her inner muscles to milk him each and every time he withdrew from her, which drew guttural groans from her mate as he buried his face between her breasts.

Recognizing that he was attempting to get himself back under control, Cora stepped up her efforts.

Gently cupping his testicles, she began by tracing the raphe, the central line that ran down the middle of the scrotal sack, back towards a much more sensitive area. When she reached his perineum she gently grazed the area with her fingertips before applying a gentle, upward pressure.

"Cora!" Diego jerked in reaction to her touch almost instantly, his head shooting up. "Gods, woman, you're going to… I'm almost…" he groaned out as Cora kept up the pressure, steadily increasing it until his release was inevitably upon him. "Don't, please!" He begged, futilely trying to shake her off.

"That's the point, sweetheart." Threading her remaining hand through his hair, she bought her lips to his ear. "Let go, Diego. Let me return the favour."

At her words, he deflated.

Diego knew full well that he'd been keeping himself in check, staving off his release for as long as he possibly could, and focusing solely on Cora's needs.

' _Should have known she wouldn't let that continue once she caught on._ '

They'd always done their best to be equals in all aspects of their life and marriage, after all.

Sighing in resignation, Diego lent foreword, burying his face in her breasts again.

Above him, Cora smiled and scratched his scalp when she felt him nuzzle one of her globes of flesh and start to rub and caress her back and bottom with his hands, silently conveying to her that he would be a team player from now on.

"Good boy," she murmured throatily into his ear before gently nipping the lobe and then running the tip of her tongue along the shell of his ear, one of his favorite erogenous zones. His response to the stimulation was instant, and she felt more that heard his groan against her flesh.

He responded in turn by taking one of her breasts in his mouth and palming the other with one hand, though he kept an eye on her reactions, ready to disengage if she became over sensitive to his ministrations. The thought that their child would one day suckle from her like he was now for sustenance didn't fail to do things to him. Just like seeing her body go through the changes that were to come - and had already occurred - as their child grew within her did things to him and would continue to do said things well after their little one was in the world.

With them both giving and receiving as they moved together, it didn't take the couple long before they were teetering on the edge.

Diego's thrusts became more powerful the closer he got to his release and he picked up his pace to make sure Cora would be right behind him. One last squeeze of her inner muscles during his last few strokes toppled him over the edge.

Cora moaned as she felt the heat of his essence bloom inside of her, his peak triggering her own and she clung to him as she saw stars as her release washed over her, her nails bitting into his back and drawing blood which spurred Diego on more.

When she came back down to Earth, she found Diego watching her with a loving look in his eyes and on his features. "Hey," he murmured to her.

Cora smiled down at him, looking at him through half-lidded eyes, one hand leaving his back to meander a path up to his scalp, where she ran her fingers through his dyed locks. "Hi," she murmured back.

The pair nuzzled noses and hugged as they recuperated for the next round.

 **~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

Hours later found them, exhausted but content and sated, snuggling together as they settled down to rest.

"Love you," She heard Diego murmur to her as he began to drift off, sleep already beginning to claim him as he reached for their blanket to cover their cooling bodies. As she felt herself begin to follow, safe and secure in his embrace, the thought that had become a mantra in her head these past few weeks came to mind once more.

She was pregnant.

This time, however, she didn't feel the usual anxiety that had plagued her at the thought since first finding out as she rested a hand over her bump, her husband's hand covering her own moments later.

Instead, Cora felt excitement mixed with anticipation for the months that lay ahead as their little one - or little ones - grew and an eagerness to finally meet the being - beings - that their love had created.

She was going to be a mother!

They were going to be parents!

Suddenly, the remaining months couldn't pass by quickly enough for her.

"I love you too, sweetheart," were her last words to her now sound asleep partner before she joined her husband in the land of dreams.

 **~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

 **Songs Used:**

"We Are The Same (Sisi Ni Sawa) from Disney Junior's The Lion Guard

 **~ o ~ O ~ o ~**

 **Author's Notes;**

For those of you who aren't Lion King fans, Diego's middle name also comes from the Lion Guard, Kion is Kiara's little brother.

Both of them have a feline vibe with their names from Lion King as well as Ice Age; Diego Kion and Kiara Shira.

You've probably noticed the time jump between this chap and the last.

Like with After the Reapers, I'm writing these chaps as the inspiration strikes, which means they won't always be in chronological order. To help with that, I'm going to post a list chapter, after the Preface, for everyone to know where things fall - if the chapters themselves don't reference where they fall.

I'll also keep updating the list as potential stories come to mind that I will - eventually - get around to writing.


End file.
